Chapter 379: Unwilling to Admit Defeat
Chapter 379: Unwilling to Admit Defeat
"Where is he?"
"Where's Albert?"
"He was just behind us a moment ago. How did he suddenly disappear?"
Fred, George, and Lee Jordan were perplexed. They had been about to head to Divination class together when Albert mysteriously "vanished."
"Do you think he got too tired to keep up?"
"You wait, he'll pop up and jinx you any second now." Fred rolled his eyes at Lee Jordan beside him.
"Speaking of, don't you find that cloning spell of his a bit odd? I've never heard of such a peculiar spell before." Lee Jordan voiced his confusion. "I've checked numerous books, even asked Professor Flitwick, and found no mention of any cloning spell."
"Don't be daft," Fred scoffed, indicating his doubt that his roommate had engaged his brain. "That cloning spell is just Albert's way of pulling our legs. Surely you didn't buy that?"
"After all this time, you still don't get him, do you? He's obviously hiding something from us." George's thoughts mirrored Fred's. "I bet Percy knows, too, but he obviously won't tell us. If you could take all twelve electives, you'd probably know how they manage to not miss a single class, too."
Indeed, the trio had already inquired with students from other houses, and neither Albert nor Katrina had ever missed a class.
However, no one knew how they managed this feat, so they could only assume that Albert's so-called cloning spell was the answer.
In fact, even if the trio were curious enough to ask, Albert wouldn't divulge his secret.
When necessary, Albert could be frighteningly tight-lipped.
"What are you lot on about?"
Albert's voice suddenly cut through the air, his figure appearing silently behind the three of them.
"Where did you go just now?" Fred couldn't help but ask.
"That's a secret, so don't ask." Albert flatly expressed his unwillingness to answer. "Come on, let's go."
"What about your Muggle Studies?" Fred probed.
"Obviously, my clone is attending that class," Albert replied.
On the other hand, Albert, who had just emerged from the bathroom, made his way toward the Muggle Studies classroom with the flow of students.
Along the way, he bumped into Katrina, who was walking alone in the corridor.
Albert stopped and waited for her to catch up before asking, "So, how are you finding Muggle Studies?"
"I'm not really used to it. There's a lot I don't understand. What are batteries and plugs, and what's this about stamps and mailing letters?" Katrina shot a glance at Albert as she rattled off her questions, clearly having given the book, British Muggle Life and Social Customs, a thorough read.
However, without any exposure to the lives of ordinary people, some of this common knowledge seemed rather baffling to her.
The two of them entered the classroom together, with Katrina shooting a slightly annoyed glare at Albert, who was smiling at her from their seat.
"What are you smiling about?" she asked.
"Nothing, I suppose this is what they call a generation gap. To be honest, there's quite a bit about the Muggle world that I don't understand either," Albert admitted with a shake of his head. "If you truly want to understand Muggles, it would be best to spend a few months or even years living among them. That way, you'll naturally come to understand them, rather than relying on a class like this."
"I don't have that kind of time, nor do I want to go," Katrina said. "Why did you choose Muggle Studies? You should already know a lot about Muggles."
"Many people say that choosing Muggle Studies is foolish, but I personally think that wizards should have some understanding of the non-magical world," Albert replied with a smile. "Otherwise, you lot can't even disguise yourselves properly. As for why I chose Muggle Studies, I wanted to see how wizards view Muggles. Honestly, I find this class quite interesting."
"Interesting? You're probably just laughing at us inside!" Katrina scoffed derisively.
"Aren't there plenty of wizards who mock Muggle-born students and even came up with a derogatory term for them?" Albert countered with a touch of self-deprecation. "Next time, I'll definitely suggest to Dumbledore that he hire a Muggle-born wizard as an assistant teacher."
The professor in charge of Muggle Studies, Professor Keridi Bubaji, was a pure-blood wizard.
Yes, similar to Ron's father, he was friendly toward Muggles, but his shortcoming was that he, too, was studying Muggles and didn't truly understand the Muggle world, often leading to some comical misunderstandings.
At least, that was how Albert saw it.
"Albert, explain to the class why Muggles need electricity," Professor Keridi Bubaji said soon after the class began. One of his favorite things to do was to pose a question and then call on Albert to provide the answer.
Of course, answering correctly would result in extra points for Gryffindor.
Because of this, a new mission appeared on the panel: "Point Maniac."
The mission's objective was to gain 1,000 points for Gryffindor during their time at school, with rewards including a level-up for a designated skill, 20 points of Professor McGonagall's favor, and 200 points of Wizarding World Reputation.
The mission rewards were fantastic.
Albert estimated that he should be able to easily complete it before graduation. After all, there would be Lockhart next year, so earning a hundred or two hundred points wouldn't be a problem.
"Electricity is a form of energy for Muggles, providing power to the numerous electrical appliances they use in their daily lives. It helps them live, and more importantly, live more comfortably and conveniently," Albert answered calmly.
In fact, many students couldn't fathom how Muggles functioned without magic. They often wondered how Muggles traveled without Floo Powder or delivered messages without owls.
Well! To be honest, if Albert hadn't already understood the two distinct ways of thinking between wizards and Muggles, he might have thought that the students in this class were intellectually challenged when he first attended Muggle Studies.
"Then... Mr. Anderson, would you mind explaining some common electrical appliances that Muggles use?" Professor Keridi Bubaji continued, and Albert took a seat in the armchair that the professor had prepared for him.
This was the latest teaching style that the professor had adopted—a question-and-answer session that the students enjoyed, and so did Professor Keridi Bubaji, as he got to learn quite a bit from Albert.
Yes, Albert had become an assistant teacher, albeit an unpaid one.
Of course, in return, Professor Keridi Bubaji exempted Albert from all homework assignments, only requiring him to submit an occasional essay.
"What are the functions of electric lights, plugs, televisions, and telephones?"
After obligingly answering a few questions, Albert asked, "Have you ever lived in the Muggle world without using magic?"
"Yes, I once spent a week in the Muggle world," Professor Keridi Bubaji recalled. "It was a fascinating trip, and I even considered writing a book about my experiences to share with everyone."
How could one's knowledge and research compare to the lived experience of others? This seemed to be the case with Professor Keridi Bubaji as well.
What he believed, and what the students believed, was vastly different from the reality of the Muggle world.
"A lot of people regret not choosing Muggle Studies," Katrina said as they walked side by side down the corridor after class. "They want to come and see..."
"It's just that everyone finds it interesting," Albert calmly replied to Katrina's teasing. "It's more engaging when I share my personal experiences and insights."
"You know, I've read many books about France, visited the country twice, and can even speak fluent French," he said self-deprecatingly. "But I would never claim to truly understand that country."
"Is the gap that big?"
Katrina understood what Albert meant. Having lived in the Muggle world, he knew exactly what those things were, and he found the content taught in class a bit laughable.
Perhaps this subject should be taught by a Muggle-born wizard or someone who had lived in the Muggle world for an extended period.
While it was true that Professor Keridi Bubaji was curious about the Muggle world, just like Mr. Weasley, his understanding was limited to that level.
Research was just research, after all! "I'm so envious of you. The third-year courses are a breeze for you," Katrina said, glancing at Albert as they walked. "Whether it's Divination, Arithmancy, Ancient Runes, or even Muggle Studies."
She even suspected that Albert could easily master Care of Magical Creatures.
"Do you regret taking them all now?" Albert countered.
"No!" Katrina shook her head stubbornly, unwilling to admit defeat.
"My advice is to focus on what you want to do in the future and specialize in that. Just excel in the subjects you need, and you can ignore the rest."
"I can't believe these words are coming from you," Katrina muttered, rolling her eyes. "Then why did you choose all of them?"
For the Time-Turner, of course! However, Albert wouldn't share this information with anyone.
"Don't you think it looks great to have a bunch of Os on your transcript?" Albert countered with a smile.
Katrina had never doubted that Albert would achieve Outstanding in all twelve subjects. He was just too exceptional, and while she could still see her sister Isabel's back, Albert's figure was already far out of reach.
She couldn't catch up! Even though she knew this, Katrina refused to give up. She didn't like admitting defeat, nor did she want to.
(End of Chapter)
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